Hua Mulan replaces her father as a female general in an all-male army.

Type: Scripted

Languages: Chinese

Status: Ended

Runtime: 45 minutes

Premier: 2013-07-18

Legend of Hua Mulan - Mulan (Disney character) - Netflix

Mulan is a character, inspired by an actual historic figure, who appears
in Walt Disney Pictures' animated feature film Mulan (1998), as well as
its sequel Mulan II (2004). Her speaking voice is provided by actress
Ming-Na Wen, while singer Lea Salonga provides the character's singing
voice. Created by author Robert D. San Souci, Mulan is based on the
legendary Chinese warrior Hua Mulan from the poem the Ballad of Mulan.
The only child of an aging war veteran, Mulan disregards both tradition
and the law by disguising herself as a man in order to enlist herself in
the army in lieu of her feeble father. Disney had originally conceived
Mulan as an oppressed young Chinese woman who ultimately elopes to
Europe to be with a British prince. However, director Tony Bancroft, who
was inspired by the well-being of his own daughters, wanted Mulan to be
a different, unique kind of Disney heroine – one who is strong and
independent, whose fate does not depend upon a male character. Thus, the
relationship between Mulan and Captain Li Shang was relegated to that of
a minor subplot, while Mulan's bravery and strength were emphasized in
order to ensure that she remained the hero of her own story. Mulan's
supervising animator was Mark Henn, who deliberately designed the
character so that she would appear less feminine than her predecessors.
Reception towards Mulan's personality has been generally positive, with
critics praising her bravery and heroism. However, some commentators
have accused Disney of Westernizing the character, while her romantic
relationship with Shang has been widely accused of compromising Mulan's
heroism.

Legend of Hua Mulan - Redesign controversy - Netflix

The 2013 Disney princess redesigns portrayed Mulan with features that
differ from her film appearance. The artwork featured Mulan with blue
eyes, bigger lips, noticeably lighter skin, and golden clothing which
does not resemble any outfit she has worn in the film. Her new
appearance has caused an uproar due to the whitewash of her character.
This was particularly troubling as Mulan is one of the few princesses of
color. Shavon L. McKinstry of SPARK Movement writes that Mulan's
redesign “seem to be directly counter to her personality and character
in her film”, and also notes how all the princesses of color have been
“noticeably pushed to the back or left out completely” from the new
Disney merchandise which featured the redesigns. McKinstry argues that
Disney “prefers to portray one demographic of princess, simultaneously
alienating so much of their fanbase”, pointing out that of the “ten
Disney Princesses in the brand, six are white”. The importance of Mulan
and other non-white princesses can be seen in the 2009 study of the
effects of children's cartoons on the body image of young girls by
doctors Sharon Hayes and Stacey Tantleff-Dunn. The study revealed that
in the group of girls ranging from 3 to 6 years old, 30.6% of the group
would change their physical appearance if they could. Of these
respondents, over half would change their hair and over a quarter would
change something about their body, such as skin color. Of all girls
surveyed, 8% said they would have to change their hair or skin color to
become a princess, stating things like they would “change from brown
skin to white skin”, for example. The interviewed group was
predominantly white. Disney has since altered the coloration in Mulan's
design by changing the blue eye highlight to brown, darkening the color
of her skin, and changing her clothing to better resemble her attire in
the film.